William Perlman/The Star-LedgerGiants defensive end Osi Umenyiora appeared on the practice field today but did not participate in drills. He is recovering from knee surgery.

Osi Umenyiora speaks to the media in the locker roomNY Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora speaks to the media in the locker room after more then 3 months of not speaking. He spoke about his injury , his contract and about getting back on the field sometime soon to help his team and teammates. (Video by William Perlman/The Star-Ledger)

Sometimes, you just have to admit you lost.

For Osi Umenyiora, that day was today.

In his first session with reporters since the start of training camp, the Giants’ defensive end said being a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the NFL and filing an affidavit claiming Jerry Reese promised him a new deal was his way of throwing a contractual Hail Mary.

That fell incomplete.

“At some point, you just have to go for it, man, And if it works, it works; if it doesn’t, it doesn’t,” Umenyiora said with a laugh. “Apparently, it didn’t work, so right back to square one.”

And right back to the exercise bike Umenyiora went today, despite the Giants’ belief he would return to practice for the first time since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery last month. Umenyiora said it was a collective decision by him and the training staff to sit out today so he didn’t suffer a setback.

Though he wouldn’t rule himself out for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, it’s clear he’s not playing. The following weekend against the Arizona Cardinals is a possibility, though the potential for swelling during a cross-country flight could be an issue.

“That’s false,” Umenyiora said. “Obviously, there’s going to be speculation the way things went down or whatever, but the contract thing I’m not even going to discuss that right now. That’s in the past, it didn’t happen, and that’s just it.”

Asked specifically about the timing of the surgery, Umenyiora replied, “I could’ve dragged this whole injury thing out this year and not had surgery, continue to say it was hurt and I didn’t want to play. But I want to get back on the football field and help this team, so I decided to have it.”

Still, Umenyiora isn’t happy with the Giants’ handling of his contract, saying he didn’t feel it was “right” to accept non-guaranteed money. “I’ve made that mistake before,” he said.

By that, Umenyiora meant the six-year extension he signed in December 2005, which was reported as a $41-million deal, included incentives above the base value of the contract.

Someone who reviewed the deal via NFLPA records said today the base value is $33.925 million over eight years (the six new years plus the remainder of ’05 and ’06 — both of which were reworked). The person requested anonymity because the contract details weren’t to be discussed publicly.

That’s why Umenyiora tried to take a stand and rework a deal he says he didn’t understand when he signed it. But now that it hasn’t happened, he’s trying to move on.

“I’m happy I’m with my team. It’s just a business at the end of the day,” he said. “I talk to the owners and we don’t even mention a contract thing because they understand just like I understand it’s all a business and it’s a short-lived business for us players so we have to try our best to get what we can.”

Umenyiora thinks he can still get what he wants, even if it’s not with the Giants.

“Well, you know, I’d like it to be here,” he said. “But I’m not a dummy. We’ll see what happens.”

Umenyiora, who didn’t sell his New Jersey home as he had considered over the spring and summer, said he remains motivated to play football for a few reasons: his 4-year-old son won’t watch a game if he’s not playing and his teammates “protected” him during the few days of practice he had in August before undergoing surgery.

They didn’t bring up any contract issues, he said, and they told him merely to take care of his business.

“I hate to compare football to war,” Umenyiora said, treading into touchy territory in order to illustrate a point, “but if you were to ask a soldier what they were fighting for, they wouldn’t tell you they were fighting for the United States government. They’d tell you they were fighting for the guys next to them, the guys they bleed and sweat with.

“That’s exactly what I’d say I’m playing for now. I love these guys, my coaches, I have tremendous amount of respect for.”

Especially Justin Tuck, who hasn’t taken a side in this whole situation — perhaps because he knows he might be in a similar situation pretty soon. So while Umenyiora might have strained his relationship with Reese, he at least strengthened his bond with Tuck.

“Tuck’s my boy, man. He really showed me how much of my boy he was throughout this whole process,” Umenyiora said. “I love that guy.”